Varsity Insider: H.S. baseball power rankings (May 25)

The BFA infield huddles together before the start of the inning during a high school baseball game between BFA St. Albans and Burlington at Orrie Jay Field last year.(Photo: BRIAN JENKINS/for the Free Press)

My attempt to come up with a clever way to describe the Division I high school baseball standings — heavily influential in the power rankings this year — led me to the Kentucky Derby. The finish line is just days away and D-I still looks like the first quarter-mile at Churchill Downs, a crowded field neck-and-neck.

Eight teams have three losses or less, meaning some phenomenal quarterfinals are in store — if, that is, the top seeds survive the first round. Even Burlington, the current No. 15 seed, is a win away from .500 and has a win over St. Johnsbury, one of the early pace-setters.

All of this is just a long-winded way of saying there's a lot of entertaining baseball left to be played and these power rankings are just as flimsy as ever in spite of my best efforts and skill at reading tea leaves.

1. BFA-St. Albans (14-1): A dozen wins in a row have the Bobwhites, who scored 18 runs in each of their last two games, in command in the Division I standings, but that could change Thursday. BFA hosts Colchester and it looks like the winner will lock up the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Last week: 2.

2. Colchester (13-2): Like BFA, the Lakers haven't lost in close to a month, stringing together 11 straight wins to give themselves a shot at the top seed in the playoffs. And since edging South Burlington 3-2 on May 17, Colchester has outscored opponents 41-0 in three games. Last week: 6.

3. Champlain Valley (12-3): A surprising loss to Mount Abraham has given way to a convincing three-game rebound for the Redhawks — wins over South Burlington, Spaulding and a 15-0 five-inning rout of Rice. Are things looking up for another deep layoff run? Last week: 5.

4. Burr and Burton (12-3): The Bulldogs have lost twice since the last rankings, but also avenged their first loss and capped the season sweep of Rutland. Last week: 3.

5. South Burlington (12-3): The youthful Rebels remain in the thick of things and could bolster their foothold for the playoffs on Thursday in a marquee clash against St. Johnsbury. A win should lock up a top-four seed but a loss could mean South Burlington hits the road for a quarterfinal game. Last week: 4.

6. St. Johnsbury (12-3): Two losses since the last rankings bounced the Hilltoppers from the No. 1 spot and their 6-5 loss to Burlington, currently 7-8 and 15th in the VPA standings, shows just how ridiculously deep Division I is this year. Last week: 1.

7. Rutland (11-3): Only two teams — BBA and CVU — have gotten the best of the Raiders this year and that by a combined six runs. That resume includes season sweeps of Mount Anthony and Hartford, and a win over Essex. Last week: 7.

8. Lamoille (12-2): The Lancers' latest win, a 7-4 triumph in eight innings against U-32 after action was suspended on Tuesday night, feels like more evidence that Lamoille could be the state's strongest squad outside D-I. Last week: 8.

9. Brattleboro (11-3): Who's got wins over St. Johnsbury and Burr and Burton this year? That'd be the Colonels, winners of six straight. Last week: Unranked.

10. Essex (9-6): Four consecutive wins after a one-run loss to CVU vault the Hornets into the top 10. How far can the momentum carry Essex into the playoffs? Last week: Bubble.